On the importance of snowpack stability, the frequency distribution of snowpack stability, and avalanche size in assessing  the avalanche danger level

Techel, Frank; Müller, Karsten; Schweizer, Jürg

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3503-2020

Articles | Volume 14, issue 10

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3503-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3503-2020

© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 14, issue 10

Research article

|

22 Oct 2020

Research article |

| 22 Oct 2020

On the importance of snowpack stability, the frequency distribution of snowpack stability, and avalanche size in assessing the avalanche danger level

Frank Techel, Karsten Müller, and Jürg Schweizer

Data sets

Stability tests, avalanche observations, Switzerland, Norway Frank Techel and Karsten Müller https://doi.org/10.16904/envidat.184

Short summary

Exploring a large data set of snow stability tests and avalanche observations, we quantitatively describe the three key elements that characterize avalanche danger: snowpack stability, the frequency distribution of snowpack stability, and avalanche size. The findings will aid in refining the definitions of the avalanche danger scale and in fostering its consistent usage.